NZOC 2018

You are warmly invited to the New Zealand National Championships 2018 incorporating two World Ranking Events – a sprint and a long distance. The events will be held over Easter 2018 and also include a middle distance and a relay.

The maps for these events have only been used once before during the World Masters Championship in 2017, and now everyone gets a chance to enjoy them. See detail in the Programme Section under each event.

Carnival Highlights

Two World Ranking Events - The Sprint and the Long.

All events will use SI Air Cards. You can Hire one if you don't have one. Your normal card will still work as it always has.

SuperSeries 2018 Round 2: Results in the M/W21E and M/W20A grades will earn points towards the 2018 SuperSeries competition for all 3 individual races. The relay will also count for the teams competition.

Selection Trials: The 2018 National Championships will be a selection trial for the 2018 WOC Team, the 2018 JWOC team, and for WUOC 2018.

Classes

The Long WRE and Sprint WRE events will be for W/M21E.

For the Sprint WRE, M/W20A will run the same course as M/W21E and can gain world ranking points.

There will also be a full set of grades available for M/W10A to 20A in 2 year age groups, open M/W21A grades and M/W35A upwards in 5 year age groups. B grades and Short grades will be offered, and there are Open Easy (C) and Open Very Easy grades available. A MW10N (shadowed) grade is available also. For details see here.

Your eligibility is determined by your age on 31 December 2018.

Details about course-class combinations for each event will be added to the event pages as soon as they are available.

Winning Times

For the Sprint WRE the expected winning time will be 12-15 minutes for all grades.

Target winning times for other grades will be posted on the programme page for each event

Punching System

The SPORTident ActiveCard (SIAC) punching system will be available in all races, and competitors may use their own SIAC cards if they own one. Regular SI-Cards will work like normal, although competitors using the SIAC cards will have a small time advantage as they do not need to pause at the control to punch, they only need to pass nearby (~30cm).

At least 160 SIAC sticks will be available for hire through EnterO ($5/event, or $15.00 for all 4 events). Regular SI cards may also be hired by selecting this option when registering through EnterO ($3/event).

New Relay Format (Trial)

The 2018 Relay Championships will trial a new relay format, with four relay races replacing the existing two races. The idea is to make the relay a more suitable challenge to a wider range of competitors.

The Mixed Short relay will remain similar to the current format.

The Mixed Long relay will be replaced with a Long (Open), a Medium (Masters) and a Short (Veterans) relay, all set at red level to provide quality technical orienteering for A-level runners, but with leg lengths set appropriate to the different age grades.

More information about the Relay grades and course lengths will be posted here as they become available.

Training Opportunities

There will be some local events being held on the Sundays before the event. Details of these events can be found here. Access to Woodhill Forest is strictly controlled and individual training there is not possible.

Race Clothing

Full body cover is recommended at the forest competitions. You may prefer long sleeves to protect your arms from pampas grass cuts. Shorts may be worn for the Sprint race.

For the sprint event road running shoes are preferable, rubber studs are allowed, but metal tipped studs are not.

For the long events orienteering shoes with rubber or metal studs will be best. Spiked shoes are forbidden in all competitions.

It is recommended that a whistle is carried.

Miscellaneous

Transport/Parking

The sprint competitions can be reached by foot from downtown Auckland or by public transport from further afield. Private transport is needed to reach the forest events.

Risk and Insurance

Each competitor participates in the event at their own risk. Travel Insurance is recommended.

Child Care

Parents need to make their own child care arrangements. An unsupervised tent will be available as a shelter for parents minding children; children are not to be left in the tent unattended.

Split start times for parents may be requested for the NZOC Sprint, Middle and Long Distance Championships. Note that due to WRE requirements, split starts may not be possible where both parents are running in the WRE races.

Food

A café will be open at the Sprint event for food and coffee and cold drinks.

At the forest events there will be a coffee van on-site, and food will be on sale at each event.

Time Zone – CHANGE DURING EVENT

New Zealand will change from be using New Zealand Summer Time to New Zealand Standard Time (NZST, “winter” time) at 2am on Sunday 1st April (clocks will be put back 1 hour).

Venue

Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city. The Auckland region is home to 1.5 million people, about a third of New Zealand’s total population.

Accommodation

Auckland offers a wide range of accommodation options, from luxurious resorts and 5-star international hotel chains to bed and breakfasts, holiday homes for rental, backpackers and camp sites. You can explore the numerous options for accommodation and vehicle rental that can be found by searching the web.

Eateries/Supermarkets

Auckland is a cosmopolitan city with restaurants, cafes and shops offering food from every corner of the world at a wide range of prices. Convenience stores in the inner city and supermarkets and shopping malls further out are open 7 days a week (except Good Friday, March 30th and Easter Sunday, April 1st otherwise often 24 hours.

Climate

April falls between the end of summer and early autumn in New Zealand. In the north of the country, Auckland (36.8°S, 174.7°E) enjoys a sub-tropical climate, with average low and high April temperatures of 15 and 20°C (59 and 68°F) and a mean rainfall of 100 mm for the month.

New Zealand is a small landmass surrounded by ocean however, and the weather is therefore quite variable and prone to rapid changes. Come prepared for rain or shine.